Cape Town is the heart of cool in South Africa. Some of the country’s most innovative restaurants, cleverest cocktail bars and trendy hotels are here. It is no surprise then that it is home to The Grand Daddy Hotel, a fun and interesting boutique hotel. We were thrilled to stay here for our visit in August 2019 and here is our full Grand Daddy Hotel review.

We were hosted guests of the Grand Daddy but as always, all opinions are totally our own

The Grand Daddy Hotel Location

Anyone who has travelled to Cape Town on a budget will be familiar with Long Street. This street runs through the heart of Cape Town making it a wonderful location to base yourself. The road is lined by hotels, bars, restaurants and clubs. In high season, it can be packed with revellers but happily, every corner has a member of security to ensure tourists have a trouble-free visit.

The Grand Daddy is situated at number 38, right opposite the stop for the hop-on-hop-off tour bus…handy!

A Little Look Around Property

Reception

Our Room

During our stay, we were lucky enough to try out two different rooms, the Grand Daddy Suite and Winelands. We will look at each in turn.

Winelands Airstream Trailer At Grand Daddy Hotel Review

The Trailer Park

Yes, you read that correctly. The Grand Daddy Hotel has created the ultimate glamping experience and built a trailer park on the roof! We just HAD to try out this cool and quirky accommodation, and so it was with brimming excitement that we opened the door to our very own vintage American caravan.

Staying in a classic, vintage mobile home would be pretty cool as it is, but the Grand Daddy Hotel has themed each one to create six or seven unique experiences. Our room was called Winelands and was themed inside to look like the vineyards that are found throughout the Western Cape.

A Look Around the Winelands Trailer

Exploring the trailer, we couldn’t miss the cool murals on the wall. Scenes of rolling vineyards had been painted on the wall and on the “window” by the bed. A flock of geese took the skies on another wall and we even had the nice touch of a wine rack under the counter. Sadly, there was no wine in any of the bottles.

Inside

The trailer was laid out really well with the bed at one end and the bathroom down at the other end.

Between these were a few places to lounge around, including a big sofa, a small wardrobe and a long countertop. On here we found the usual tea and coffee making facilities, phone and underneath some kitchen bits and pieces and the mini-fridge. Every fridge comes with a couple of bottles of water but you need to ask reception if you want it stocked with anything else. We tend to avoid this where possible so we don’t drunkenly demolish a £5 mini pot of Pringles or empty the miniatures, there was a bank of plugs which accommodated plugs from all over the world. We love this nod to international travellers but we could have used one nearer the bed.

The Bed

It was easy to forget that the trailer belongs to a proper hotel, that was u TIL we climbed into bed. It was very comfortable, with a million pillows. I was worried that the noise from Long Street would permeate the metal frame of the room. However, The rain overnight was the only thing that disturbed our sleep. I quite liked hearing the drops on the roof but it’s the ideal for light sleepers.

Bathroom

We weren’t entirely sure what to expect but we were very pleased to see that one end of the trailer contained a bathroom. It was simple but just what we needed. The shower took a while to warm up but once it was up to temperature, perfectly reasonable. Cape Town, and the whole Western Cape, has been experiencing a drought so I was very conscious of the water consumption. I felt a bit guilty letting it run to warm up.

I was happy that the products and amenities provided were to a high standard. The soap and hair products smelled gorgeous.

Outside

We had our own little patch of garden outside our trailer. I believe most of the trailers had some form of space. In summer, I bet this is lovely but it was a little cool and damp to sit outside.

And now for something. completely different…

Grand Daddy Suite Review

If you are looking for a lot more room and a lot more luxury, the Grand Daddy Suite on the second floor is a great option.

Opening the door from the hotel corridor, I almost gave myself whiplash trying to look in two directions at once. To the right, our sitting room complete with outdoor space. To the left, the bedroom.

Sitting Room

Sporting a bold feature wall (with velvety wallpaper) the sitting room was plush. We loved the added touch of the sherry decanter. It was the cherry on top of a very cool room.

Terrace

Again, it was a bit too cold to sit outside but had it been January, we would have thrown the doors open and migrated to the little garden. It is definitely an urban space with buildings that surround it but it so nice to have a little private outdoor space.

Bedroom

The style in the bedroom was a weird and wonderful mix of styles. The huge red velvet headboard and mirrored ….. spoke of a lavish boudoir but the green accents clashed to create a more eccentric look.

Bed

Bathroom

The bathroom was lovely and well-considered for a couple. There were two taps on the long sink creating his and hers space. I would have liked a little more counter space but that may say more about the excess of makeup I packed.

On one side of the bathroom sat a very tempting roll top bath. However, mindful of the water crisis I skipped the bath in favour of a shower. Again, the products on offer were great and the whole was enhanced by a diffuser. My mum who was also on this trip hates strong smells like air fresheners and really disliked this but the ginger and lemon aroma was just right for me.

Dining

As we weren’t in Cape Town for long, we were out and about for most of the time. This meant we were only in for breakfast.

Breakfast takes place in the hotels ground floor bar/restaurant Thirty Ate. If your room rate includes breakfast you can pick any of the a la carts dishes, plus a juice and hot drink. The coffee is strong, fruity and served with a smile.

The breakfast menu was pretty good with a nice variety of savoury dishes and a couple of sweet options. The staff were more than happy to adapt the menu to suit us which was a lovely level of care.

Below is a selection of the dishes we had as a group. The only company we had was that my mum wasn’t offered the different kinds of toast for her first breakfast but it is an incredibly minor thin and probably resulted from them skipping that bit of the menu.

The Grand Daddy Hotel Rooftop

As well as the Grand Daddy Trailer Park, the roof is also home to the hotel’s summer bar. This is covered over to protect from both the African sun and any unexpected rain showers. During the warmer months, the hotel screens films up here so it becomes a social space for incoming guests as well as those staying at the hotel. We saw someone being shown around who was planning a big rooftop party. It sounds like a fun and buzzy place to be when the weather is a little more agreeable.

Information

If you are thinking of visiting Cape Town, here is some information you might like to know:

• To get the best deals, we always recommend booking directly through the Grand Daddy Hotel website.
• Long Street can be reached by taxi from Cape Town airport. It will cost around £10 – £12.
• If you are arriving by train, it is a simple 10-minute walk.
• The Grand Daddy Hotel has international plugs but if you are going to bring adaptors, South Africa has plugs with three round pin plugs. These are not commonly in shops so we would advise getting some from Amazon.

Final Thoughts

There is no doubt that the Grand Daddy’s Airstream Trailer Park is a totally unique and awesome place to sleep. I kind of wish we’d had friends travelling with us to have a trailer party. That would have been so fun!

For those planning to stay in the main building, enjoy all those fun little quirks dotted around the hotel and rest assured that you have picked somewhere that is both great value and a lovely level of luxury. When we return to Cape town (as I am sure we will), we will be booking at The Grand Daddy hotel again.

Rosie xx